Ignored Obscured Restored
In May 1970, the legendary Howlin’ Wolf flew to London to record an album with some of the biggest names in British blues-rock. The meeting came about after Chess Records producer Norman Dayron ran into Eric Clapton backstage at a Fillmore West concert and extended an invitation. Once Clapton realized the offer was genuine, he jumped at the chance to work with — and learn from — one of his musical heroes.
Wolf was in poor physical health at the time, but Dayron cleared the trip with his doctors, informally agreeing to make sure Wolf took all his many medication.
On the first day of recording at London’s Olympic Studios, the musicians cut what would become the standout track on The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions: “I Ain’t Superstitious.”
The remake of the Willie Dixon penned classic featured Wolf on vocals, Clapton on lead guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, Ringo Starr on drums, and Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman on cowbell. One interesting twist: Wolf’s longtime lead guitarist, Hubert Sumlin, played rhythm guitar. Chess had hoped to save a few bucks by leaving Sumlin off the sessions, but Clapton insisted he wouldn’t make the album without him. Chess eventually caved.
Once the London sessions wrapped, additional overdubs were recorded in Chicago, including a horn section and piano parts played by Steve Winwood, who was touring the United States with Blind Faith.
After that first day, Voormann and Starr dropped out, reportedly uncomfortable with the way the sessions were being conducted. In Moanin’ at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin’ Wolf, Voormann recalled a strange, almost unnerving atmosphere: the band “… played take after take — hardly any comment from anyone. The take we had just done was finished. Howlin’ went back to his chair sitting there and sitting there. I’ve never seen anybody sit like that in my whole life: like a statue — no comment, not a word.”
When the album appeared in 1971, it received a mixed reception. Blues purists dismissed the pairing of Wolf with British rock royalty as a commercial mishmash that sacrificed the authenticity of traditional blues. Some listeners also felt the London version of “I Ain’t Superstitious” lacked the raw menace of Wolf’s original 1961 Chess recording.
There was another complication. By 1971, rock fans were already familiar with the Jeff Beck Group’s volcanic, heavy-rock reworking of the song on Truth (1968). Against Beck’s ferocious attack, the London version could sound almost too clean, even polite.
Time, however, has been kinder to the recording. Heard on its own terms, the London performance has a groove all its own, propelled by Ringo’s distinctive, bouncing boogaloo beat. Rather than trying to outdo Beck’s hard-rock assault or simply recreate Wolf’s original, the musicians find a looser, more relaxed pocket — one that gives Wolf plenty of room to command the song. It’s a fascinating meeting of blues generations, and a reminder that sometimes the most revealing collaborations aren’t the ones where everyone has to play at full throttle.
Enjoy… until next week.